Since Norbert Basler founded the company in 1988, Basler Vision Technologies set the bar high on innovation in various markets and continually rose to that challenge. The Ahrensburg, Germany-based company entered the industrial camera business in 1997 and introduced its first megapixel camera just two years later in 1999. Shortly after, in 2000, the company went public. “The IPO of Basler shares in the year 2000 was a major milestone for the company,” said Hardy Mehl, director IP business. Then in 2006, Basler made a breakthrough with cameras that transmit high-speed video and related control data over Ethernet networks. “We introduced GigE cameras for the industrial market — an industry first which established us as the GigE leader, a position that we still enjoy today.”
In 2008, the company made its entrance into the security camera business as it celebrated its twentieth anniversary. “Our products have been attracting considerable interest ever since,” Mehl said. “We have seen particular success in projects involving the bank, casino and traffic sectors. Our security cameras have become well known for their high image quality, their low light sensitivity, their exceptional color fidelity, and their overall versatility. The new real-time trigger feature on our cameras is a direct response to customer input and demonstrates our commitment to providing products that best meet our customers’ needs.” According to the company, Basler was “the first company to offer an IP camera that delivers video data at 100 fps.”
In present time, Basler is still experiencing growth despite a tough economic climate. In 2010, the company reported doubling its camera production capacity and generating record revenue in its camera business.
Manufacturing IP cameras requires close interaction between many people and departments, the company stated. Jan Lemke, head of production at Basler, said, “Over the last few years, Basler has made ongoing investments in our production capabilities. Through continuous improvement, we have become a leader regarding quality, cost efficiency, and flexibility.” At Basler, this was made possible particularly by the process monitoring and control methods applied during camera production.
The company is currently launching a new fixed box IP camera line, which includes new CCD and CMOS sensor models with resolutions of up to 5 megapixels and frame rates of up to 100 fps at VGA resolution. New Basler IP fixed dome camera models with audio functionality will be available in the second quarter of 2011.
The company has locations in Germany, the United States, Taiwan, Singapore and Korea. But the company still stands by a tradition of high quality, German-made products. Mehl added, “Our IP camera development and production benefits from our more than 10 years of experience in the industrial camera sector, and we reuse process optimization measures across several product lines. Another advantage is that we develop all of the camera hardware and software in house and every camera is produced at our headquarters in Ahrensburg. Thus, we combine all of our strengths and skills under one roof to always achieve the most important characteristics of our IP cameras — high image quality and reliability.”
